Fire barrier for wall sheathing materials

ABSTRACT

A sheathing material includes a layer of ceramic paper to help prevent the burning of the sheathing during a fire. The material may include insulation disposed between the ceramic paper and the substrate to further reduce damage to the substrate, and may include a thin layer of wood or paper placed over the ceramic paper to protect the ceramic paper and to allow the sheathing to be used in a manner similar to that of a conventional sheathing material.

PRIORITY

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/556,465, filed on Sep. 9, 2009, which is herein incorporatedby reference in its entirety, and which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/095,592, filed on Sep. 9, 2008,which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

THE FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to fire barriers. More specifically, thepresent invention relates to improved wall sheathing materials forresidential and commercial construction which include a ceramic paperfire barrier so as to improve the fire resistance of the sheathingmaterial.

BACKGROUND

Currently, little is done to improve the fire resistance of constructionmaterials. While some building materials such as concrete are not burnedby fire, other building materials such as plywood sheathing are readilyburned by fire. Some materials, such as gypsum wall board, are resistantto fire to some degree, but will typically fail rather quickly in thepresence of a moderate fire. As such, fire presents a serious risk tobuildings and fire damage accounts for a large portion of structuraldamage to buildings. In some areas, periodic forest or grass fires arecommon and these fires destroy many buildings. The readiness with whichcommon building materials such as plywood burn causes the fires tospread quickly from building to building.

It would be desirable to improve the fire resistance of these commonbuilding materials without dramatically changing how the materials areused and handled. The use of more fire resistant building materialscould slow or stop the progress of fires within a building or throughgroups of buildings, making the fire more easily controlled and reducingthe damage caused by the fire. In particular, more fire resistantsheathing materials would slow or stop the spread of the fire as thesewould protect other building materials such as wood framing from thefire. The use of more fire resistant building materials will also slow afire within a building, giving occupants more time to escape from such abuilding.

It would be desirable to make more fire resistant building materialswhich are used in the same manner as the conventional building material.This would allow construction workers to use the more fire resistantmaterials without changes to the tools which are necessary or to themethods used to build the building. This allows the more fire resistantmaterials to be easily adopted and used in construction projects.

There is thus a need for building materials which are more resistant toburning. There is a particular need for sheathing materials which aremore resistant to burning.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improvedsheathing material with increased burn resistance.

According to one aspect of the invention, sheathing is provided whichincludes a layer of ceramic material therein to prevent fire fromburning through the layer of ceramic. Preferably, the ceramic materialis a ceramic paper.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the ceramic papermay be disposed below the surface of the sheathing material such thatthe use of the material is unchanged. Particularly, gypsum wall boardmay include a layer of ceramic paper beneath the typical paper surfaceof the gypsum wall board so that the ceramic paper does not change theway in which the gypsum wall board accepts plaster and paint.

These and other aspects of the present invention are realized in asheathing material as shown and described in the following figures andrelated description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the present invention are shown and described inreference to the numbered drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a wood sheathing material accordingto the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a gypsum wall board sheathingmaterial according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a side view of a sheathing material according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 shows a cross sectional view of a beam according to the presentinvention; and

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a wall paper according to the presentinvention.

It will be appreciated that the drawings are illustrative and notlimiting of the scope of the invention which is defined by the appendedclaims. The embodiments shown accomplish various aspects and objects ofthe invention. It is appreciated that it is not possible to clearly showeach element and aspect of the invention in a single figure, and assuch, multiple figures are presented to separately illustrate thevarious details of the invention in greater clarity. Similarly, notevery embodiment need accomplish all advantages of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention and accompanying drawings will now be discussed inreference to the numerals provided therein so as to enable one skilledin the art to practice the present invention. The drawings anddescriptions are exemplary of various aspects of the invention and arenot intended to narrow the scope of the appended claims.

Turning now to FIG. 1, a perspective view of a sheathing materialaccording to the present invention is shown. The sheathing material 10is a wood sheathing as is commonly used on the exterior of buildings.The sheathing material 10 includes a wood base 14 which is typicallyplywood, particle board, fiberboard, oriented strand board (commonlyknown as OSB), or the like. Plywood or OSB is commonly used as interiorand exterior sheathing, as a sub-flooring material, as a roofingmaterial, and in other similar locations in buildings. According to thepresent invention, a layer of ceramic, typically ceramic paper 18 isplaced on the wood base 14. The ceramic paper 18 can be made as isdiscussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,533,897, which is expressly incorporatedherein by reference.

The ceramic paper 18 provides a fire barrier to protect the wood base 14in order to inhibit or prevent burning of the wood base 14 when the sameis exposed to fire. When the wood sheathing 10 is used as exteriorsheathing, the wood sheathing 10 would be placed so that the ceramicpaper 18 would be on the outside of the sheathing, protecting theexterior of the building from fires. In order to increase theeffectiveness of the ceramic paper 18 in preventing the wood base 14from burning, an insulation layer 22 may be placed between the ceramicpaper and the wood base. The insulation layer 22 may be a more porous(less dense) ceramic layer which further inhibits heat transfer to thewood base 14. The ceramic paper has a density similar to felt papers,and serves primarily to prevent burning of an underlying material whilesimultaneously blocking some heat from transferring to the underlyingmaterial.

The wood sheathing 10 may also include a thin veneer 26 of paper or woodplaced on top of the ceramic paper 18. The veneer 26 may serve multiplepurposes. The veneer 26 may prevent damage to the ceramic paper 18during handling and installation of the wood sheathing 10. The ceramicpaper is more prone to damage than a conventional plywood or OSB, andthus may benefit from additional mechanical protection. The ceramicpaper 18 may include some reinforcement to strength the ceramic paperand make the produce more durable. The reinforcement may be a fiberglassmesh, Kevlar mesh, etc. Additionally, the veneer 26 may limit theexposure of construction workers to the ceramic paper. Ceramic paper islargely comprised of ceramic fibers, which may pose health hazardssimilar to fiberglass. The veneer 26 may also be used to provide asurface which is more similar to conventional plywood or OSB, allowingthe wood sheathing 10 to be used in much the same manner as theconventional products.

The wood sheathing 10 is thus desirable for use in any location whereadditional fire protection is desired. When used in floors, ceilings,roof decks, walls, etc. the sheathing 10 effectively stops or slows thepass age of the fire through the material.

Turning now to FIG. 2, a perspective view of a piece of gypsum wallboard 30 according to the present invention is shown. The gypsum wallboard 30 includes a gypsum layer 34 and a paper backing layer 38 similarto conventional gypsum wall board. The gypsum wall board includes aceramic layer which is preferably ceramic paper 42. The ceramic paper 42protects the gypsum 34 from flame exposure and lengthens the time thatthe gypsum wall board 30 can resist fire. An insulation layer 46 may beplaced between the ceramic paper 42 and the gypsum 34 to further protectthe gypsum from fire damage. The ceramic layer 42 may include areinforcement such as a fiberglass mesh or the like.

The gypsum wall board 30 may include a paper layer 50 placed over theceramic paper 42. The paper layer may protect the ceramic paper 42 fromdamage as discussed, and make the gypsum wall board 30 respond toplaster and paint in a manner more similar to conventional gypsum wallboard.

Turning now to FIG. 3, a side view of a sheathing material 54 accordingto the present invention is shown. Sheathing material 54 may be thesheathing material 10 or the gypsum wall board 30. The sheathingmaterial 54 is shown exposed to a fire 58. The sheathing material 54 maybe a wood sheathing 10 as shown in FIG. 1 or a gypsum wall board 30 asshown in FIG. 2. Those experienced with building fires will understandthat conventional gypsum wall board and wood sheathing often fail fairlyquickly in a fire. Gypsum wall board tends to disintegrate in a fire andthen allow the fire to burn underlying structures. Wood sheathing beginsto burn. The sheathing 54 of the present invention provides increasedresistance to burning. The ceramic paper layer prevents the underlyingmaterial from burning as it can withstand temperatures of 1400° C. ormore without sustaining damage. Additionally, the ceramic paper inhibitsthe transfer of heat to the underlying material and thereby prevents orsubstantially slows combustion of or damage to the material.

In the case that a thin veneer or layer of paper or wood is used tocover the exposed surface of the sheathing 54, this layer wouldtypically burn away quickly without providing an appreciable amount offuel to the fire and leave the ceramic paper layer intact to protect thesheathing and underlying structure.

The ceramic paper layer provides protection to the underlying sheathingand building structure in many ways. By directly preventing the firefrom burning the exposed sheathing the ceramic paper prevents thisdamage to the sheathing. While some damage to the sheathing 54 may bedone by the heat, significant damage is prevented. Perhaps moreimportantly, however, preventing the sheathing 54 from burning deprivesthe fire of a fuel source. Depriving the fire of an additional fuelsource reduces the intensity of the fire, keeps the fire from spreading,and allows the fire to be more easily contained and extinguished. Itwill thus be appreciated that while application of the present inventionto a single building will help prevent damage to that building,application of the present invention to many buildings in an area maysignificantly reduce the damage caused by a fire as it deprives the fireof fuel and makes the fire more easily contained and extinguished.

Turning now to FIG. 4, a cross sectional view of a beam 62 having a firebarrier according to the present invention is shown. The beam 62 isoften a wood beam, though steel beams and other beams also benefit fromthe fire protection shown. The beam 62 includes a layer of ceramic paper66 which provides a fire barrier to protect the beam 62 in order toinhibit or prevent burning of or damage to the beam 62 when the same isexposed to fire. In order to increase the effectiveness of the ceramicpaper 66 in preventing the beam 62 from burning, an insulation layer 70may be placed between the ceramic paper and the beam. The insulationlayer 70 may be a more porous (less dense) ceramic layer which furtherinhibits heat transfer to the beam 62. The ceramic paper has a densitysimilar to felt papers, and serves primarily to prevent burning of anunderlying material while simultaneously blocking some heat fromtransferring to the underlying material.

The beam 62 may also include a thin veneer 74 of paper, wood, or othermaterials placed on top of the ceramic paper 66. The veneer 74 may servemultiple purposes. The veneer 74 may prevent damage to the ceramic paper66 during handling and installation of the beam 62. The ceramic paper ismore prone to damage than conventional materials such as wood, and thusmay benefit from additional mechanical protection. The ceramic paper 66may include some reinforcement to strength the ceramic paper and makethe produce more durable. The reinforcement may be a fiberglass mesh,Kevlar mesh, etc. Additionally, the veneer 74 may limit the exposure ofconstruction workers to the ceramic paper. Ceramic paper is largelycomprised of ceramic fibers, which may pose health hazards similar tofiberglass. The veneer 74 may also be used to provide a surface which ismore similar to a conventional beam, allowing the beam 62 to be used inmuch the same manner as conventional beams. The beam 62 would providefire benefits as discussed with respect to FIG. 3. In many situations,buildings have beams which may not be adequately protected from fire byenclosing the beam within a sheathing material as discussed herein, orwhich merit additional fire protection even if enclosed by the fireresistant sheathing materials of the present invention. These are oftenkey structural beams, and increasing the fire resistance of these beamsmay significantly decrease the likelihood that a fire causes collapse ofthe building. Beams 62 may thus be used in order to increase the fireresistance of the building.

Turning now to FIG. 5, a side view of a wall paper 78 having a firebarrier according to the present invention is shown. The wall paper 78typically includes an exterior face 82 which may be a decorative andfinished face as is known with conventional wall papers, or which may bea surface configured for accepting paint. A ceramic paper layer 86 isprovided which provides a fire barrier. An insulation layer 90, whichmay be a lower density ceramic paper, may be provided to decrease theheat transfer to the structure to which the wall paper 78 is applied. Anadhesive layer 94 may be provided, or conventional wall paper adhesivemay be used to apply the wall paper 78 to a wall, ceiling, or otherbuilding surface.

The wall paper 78 is applied to partially or completely finishedbuilding walls and ceilings to increase the fire resistance of the wall.Thus, the wall paper 78 may often be applied to kitchen walls or garagewalls as these walls are more likely to experience a fire. The wallpaper 78 provides a fire barrier which prevents or substantially hindersa fire from penetrating through the wall, limiting the spread of thefire and damage to the building.

The wall paper may be applied to existing buildings in a manner similarto conventional wall paper, and may even have a decorative surface. Thisallows many persons to improve the fire resistance of their buildingwithout any more work than is common for redecorating the building.

The present invention provides particular benefits where it is desirableto isolate areas of a building and provide fire protection between theseareas. In many cases it is desirable to create a stronger fire barrierbetween areas of a building. Such a fire wall may be desirable instorage units, condominium complexes, high rise buildings, officecomplexes, etc. In these situations, it is often desirable to provideincreased fire protection between adjacent tenants or areas to preventthe spread of fire and limit the risk that a problem caused by onetenant adversely affects another tenant. Similarly, it may be desirableto isolate particular rooms such as storage rooms from the rest of anarea or to isolate sections of a building such as different floors ofthe building. In these situations, one or more of the building materialsdiscussed herein may be used to create a fire barrier. The sheathing ofFIG. 1, the gypsum wall board of FIG. 2, the beams of FIG. 4, or thewall paper of FIG. 5 may be used alone or in combination to create afire barrier between sections of a building that is highly resistant tofire and thus protects adjacent areas of a building from a potentialfire.

There is thus disclosed an improved fire resistant sheathing materialfor buildings. It will be appreciated that numerous changes may be madeto the present invention without departing from the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A preformed construction sheathing materialcomprising: a generally planar and continuous sheet of gypsum boardhaving a length and a width and having a first side and a second sideand a thickness disposed between the first side and the second side; anda layer of ceramic fiber material affixed directly to the first side ofthe sheet of gypsum board to cover substantially all of the first sidethereof; wherein substantially all of the second side of the sheet ofgypsum board is exposed and forms a second exterior surface of thesheathing material opposite the first exterior surface of the sheathingmaterial; wherein the sheathing material is attached to a building aswall sheathing or ceiling sheathing, such that the second side of thesheet of gypsum board is attached to the building, such that the firstside of the sheet of gypsum board faces away from the surface of thebuilding to which the second side of the sheet of gypsum board isattached, and such that the sheet of gypsum board is disposed betweenthe layer of ceramic fiber material and the building such that the layerof ceramic fiber material covers the sheet of gypsum board.
 2. Thesheathing material of claim 1, wherein the ceramic fiber material is aceramic paper which has a thickness which is between about 0.3millimeters and 3 millimeters.
 3. The sheathing material of claim 1,wherein the gypsum board comprises a gypsum layer and a paper backinglayer.
 4. The sheathing material of claim 1, wherein the layer ofceramic fiber material forms a first exterior surface of the sheathingmaterial.
 5. The sheathing material of claim 1, further comprising apaper facing layer attached to the layer of ceramic material tosubstantially cover all of the layer of ceramic material; and whereinthe paper facing layer forms a first exterior surface of the sheathingmaterial.
 6. The sheathing material of claim 1, wherein the layer ofceramic fiber material is a ceramic paper having a thickness betweenabout 0.3 millimeters and 3 millimeters.
 7. A preformed sheet materialfor use in construction comprising: a generally planar sheet of gypsumboard having a length and a width and having a first side and a secondside and a thickness between the first side and the second side; and alayer of ceramic fiber material having a first face and a second face,wherein the first face is attached to the first side of the generallyplanar sheet of gypsum board such that the ceramic fiber material coverssubstantially all of the first side of the sheet of gypsum board;wherein substantially all of the second side of the sheet of gypsumboard is exposed and forms a first exterior surface of the sheathingmaterial; and wherein the second face of the layer of ceramic fibermaterial is exposed and forms a second exterior surface of the sheathingmaterial which is opposite the first exterior surface of the sheathingmaterial.
 8. The preformed sheet material of claim 7, wherein the sheetmaterial is attached to a building as wall sheathing or ceilingsheathing such that the first side of the generally planar sheet ofgypsum board is oriented away from the building and the second side ofthe generally planar sheet of gypsum board is attached to the buildingand the generally planar sheet of gypsum board is disposed between thelayer of ceramic fiber material and the building such that the layer ofceramic fiber material covers the generally planer sheet of gypsumboard.
 9. The preformed sheet material of claim 7, wherein the layer ofceramic fiber material is a ceramic paper having a weight between about50 and 300 grams per square meter.
 10. The preformed sheet material ofclaim 7, wherein the layer of ceramic fiber material is a ceramic paperhaving a thickness between about 0.3 millimeters and 3 millimeters. 11.The preformed sheet material of claim 7, wherein the gypsum boardcomprises a gypsum layer and a paper backing layer.
 12. A preformedsheet material for use in construction comprising: a generally planarsheet of gypsum board having a length and a width, a first side and anopposed second side, and a thickness between the first side and thesecond side; a thin layer of ceramic fiber fire barrier sheet materialwhich has a first side and a second side, wherein the first side of thelayer of ceramic fiber fire barrier material is attached to the firstside of the sheet of gypsum board to cover substantially all of thefirst side of the sheet of gypsum board; an outer paper layer attachedto the second side of the layer of ceramic fiber fire barrier materialto cover substantially all of the layer of ceramic fiber fire barriermaterial; wherein substantially all of the second side of the sheet ofgypsum board is exposed and forms a first exterior surface of thepreformed sheet material; and wherein the outer paper layer forms asecond exterior surface of the sheathing material disposed opposite thefirst exterior surface of the sheathing material.
 13. The preformedsheet material of claim 12, wherein the preformed sheet material isattached to a building as wall sheathing or ceiling sheathing.
 14. Thepreformed sheet material of claim 12, wherein the preformed sheetmaterial is attached to a building such that the second side of thesheet of gypsum board is attached to the building and the sheet ofgypsum board is disposed between the layer of ceramic fiber fire barriersheet material and the building.
 15. The preformed sheet material ofclaim 12, wherein the layer of ceramic fiber fire barrier sheet materialis a ceramic paper having a weight between about 50 and 300 grams persquare meter.
 16. The preformed sheet material of claim 12, wherein thelayer of ceramic fiber fire barrier material is a ceramic paper having athickness between about 0.3 millimeters and 3 millimeters.
 17. Thepreformed sheet material of claim 12, wherein the gypsum board comprisesa gypsum layer and a paper backing layer.